


Choose Your Ending

by Camsen02



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But different, Cartoon Physics, Cartoon World, Cults, Everyone Is Alive, Friendship, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rituals, Toon Henry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-10-02 00:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17254076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camsen02/pseuds/Camsen02
Summary: Bendy and Henry Stein are handed a new beginning unlike any other, but not all is as it seems. Henry certainly didn't remember Cartoons being as violent as this reality appeared to be, and escaping it might be harder than even that of Joey Drew's Studio.





	1. Chapter 1

Henry ran as fast as his weary legs would carry him, his breath ragged and sweat trickling from him in vast amounts. He didn’t dare look back, the thundering sounds of his pursuer making it obvious he didn’t’ have to in order to know he was screwed.

The old animator turned a corner and barely avoided the force of the demon colliding with him, and relief bubbled forth for a brief moment. The speed in which said demon ran with could easily be on par with the force of a train, and Henry was certain he wouldn’t survive being run through by that.

How had it all come to this? Henry’s mind immediately went to Joey, and he gritted his teeth as hot air escaped through the gaps with a hiss. If only he hadn’t been gullible enough to trust that man having anything even remotely good to show him. No, his former boss only ever managed to produce nightmares, and Henry was the unfortunate victim of his most deranged one.

He rounded yet another corner and slammed his whole body against the wall as Bendy came barreling past him, vanishing through the inky passage the demon made whenever a dead end met his path. Henry’s heart hammered loudly and threatened to crush his rib cage in an attempt to escape his chest.

He could have been home right now. He _should_ have been home, by his wife’s side and within the safety of a reality Henry could identify with, because this whole situation was _bullshit_ upon more bullshit. Henry mentally promised himself to punch the lights out of Joey if he ever saw the man again.

 _When_ he saw him again, the old man reminded himself. It was _when_ , not _if_ _._

With that thought firmly ingrained within him, Henry ran down those blasted halls to find a solution that most likely wasn’t even there, his entire being screaming for a break. The animator didn’t know how much more his abused body could take.

Bendy was back and charging ahead in blind fury, his every step shaking the ground and leaving ink particles in his wake as they evaporated shortly after leaving his monstrously deformed body. Henry balanced himself as he nearly fell from the quaking of the floor, righting himself on the wall as he slowly edged forward, searching for the last lever.

Henry couldn’t for the life of him find the blasted thing, his whole body shaking with adrenaline and his palms cold with sweat. He took a deep, steadying breath and schooled his wayward feelings, letting the familiar cold and detached indifference steer him forward.

Now was not the time for panicking. He simply couldn’t afford it.

The ink demon’s roars resonated within the halls, urging Henry to just _end_ it all. Eventually – _finally_ – Henry found the lever and rushed to it like his life depended on it – which it did – and pulled it with a desperation even he didn’t think he would ever experience. The old man immediately slammed his body against the wall again as the deformed devil passed him with a screech that hurt his ears.

There was no time to waste. Henry ran to the end of the spiraling halls and was hit with an immense relief that coated his entire being as he saw the doors open, his breath ragged and heart pounding. The old animator’s head swiveled with the notion of Bendy having gone quiet, but he didn’t know whether that was good or bad.

The sight beyond was not what he expected, but then again nothing in Joey Drew’s Studio ever felt right enough to expect anything other than the unexpected. Ink was dripping and pouring down from the ceiling in vast amounts, and it coated his already soaked body. He flicked a few drops away from his face with a calm that conflicted with his thundering heart and focused on the projecting screens.

Bendy was, unsurprisingly, the star of the play. Quite a few of the many animations Henry had drawn himself played before him, but he only graced them with a frown and turned to the doors ahead.

Ah, there was another sign of _WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?_

Henry certainly wasn’t.

Knowing beforehand that they wouldn’t just open for him like doors were supposed to, the old man trudged ahead to the machine in the corner and turned the lone valve attached to it. As he turned around, his sight was greeted by Bendy moving in on him, his towering form a menace to behold. Henry shivered at the sight but narrowed his eyes with unflinching determination.

“Bring it on, Bendy.”

And bringing it he did. After several near death experiences – he was almost _impaled_ on many occasions by the shattered glass – the four pipes were eventually destroyed and darkness embraced the room. Silence hung heavy in the air while Henry held his breath and stood rooted to his spot near the last broken ink pipe, the darkness feeling nothing short of suffocating.

He knew the demon was gone when the doors slowly started opening.

The new location Henry found himself in held yet more screens and projections showcasing Bendy’s cartoon, and down below them, in the middle of the room, stood a throne that couldn’t be described as anything other than demonic looking. To its immediate right, the old animator looked at a reel labeled _The End_.

Henry didn’t take it as his eyes focused on something hidden and squeezed between the chair and projector. He fished it up and held it before him.

“A New Beginning…?” He whispered to himself.

That was the thing’s label, but Henry didn’t know what to make of it. Still, he felt it sounded way better than the one known as the end, and so the old man switched it out with the reel of new beginnings and turned it on.

Behind him, Bendy lashed out with a huge claw, but Henry was spared from being impaled by those deadly razors as the projector did its work, turning on the screens and catching the demon’s attention. The beast briefly glanced back at Henry with a piercing glare before turning back to the screen immediately before him, stomping on the ground like a child who didn’t get what they wanted.

The projection flashed with curvy bold letters which read _A New Beginning_ , and below it, in a smaller size, it wrote _Choose You_ _r_ _Ending_.

Bendy stared, transfixed, and Henry found himself doing the very same. Every screen turned to project this very image as the spiraling room lit up with light that encased them, and for a brief moment, Henry felt everything stop.

His breath, his sight, his hearing, his _heart_. Everything slowed to a stop, the only indication of time still moving being the flashing of light that somehow became more eerie than it should have been allowed to be.

A high-pitched screech pierced the moment and Henry was jerked back to the present like he had just breached the surface of heavy water. The hypnotizing moment that felt like it had stretched on for ages met its abrupt end, as quick as it had come, and it left the old animator wheezing for much needed air.

He averted his eyes from the flashing screens and turned his attention to the towering demon which – now that he got a closer look at him without the immediate danger of dying – seemed to rapidly destabilize, vast amounts of ink dripping down his body as he melted away. Henry stood, transfixed, as Bendy became nothing more than a writhing, screeching puddle of black liquid. His remains bubbled for a few seconds before going completely still.

Was this it? Was it really over?

Henry collapsed to the ground with an audible grunt. The projections still flashed and the jarring sounds they made nagged his hurting brain, but the old man couldn’t care less. He let out a shaky chuckle that eventually turned into full-blown laughter.

This continued on for a while, but his relief was abruptly interrupted as something dripped into his mouth. He wheezed and coughed and spit it out, the unmistakable taste of ink making him splutter with nausea.

Henry raised an eyebrow and looked up.

Ink.

Ink upon more ink, the dark liquid coated the entirety of the ceiling, and Henry’s eyes widened. It began its descent down the walls and splattered everywhere, a big glop splashing on his head and dousing him in its substance. Henry reeled back, wiping at his eyes as the ink seared his sight. He stifled a pained cry as he was completely engulfed in the liquid, and the old animator realized with a start that the ink wasn’t just running down the walls, it was _melting them_.

The whole place was destabilizing, Henry included.

He screamed and thrashed, but it did little to stop him from meeting the same end as his beloved cartoon character, and Henry’s mind slowly turned to mush as he became nothing but a bubbling puddle that eventually joined the rest of the ink now flowing like a river.

The last thing Henry thought of was how ill-fitting that reel’s name had been. This wasn’t a new beginning, but a slow, tortuous end.

He might as well have played the original reel.

* * *

“Henry.” A voice said, faint as if spoken from far away. “Buddy ol pal, ya gotta wake up.”

Henry groaned as he battled the need to shut the voice out and return to complete obliviousness, however a rough prodding on his left arm kept him from doing so. His eyes twitched as he went to bat the offender away, but this only resulted in the prodding turning to his entire body being rustled and shaken.

The old animator snapped his eyes open and rushed to a sitting position, his hands clenching around thin air where normally an axe would have been. The thought briefly managed to bewilder his already confused state of mind, because why would he be holding a weapon?

As soon as that thought had been processed, though, Henry was slammed with the memories of Joey Drew’s Studio and the madness he had gone through within its dark and yellowy halls.

“Oh good, you’re alive.” The voice from before continued, high-pitched and cheerful and so very out of place after what had just happened.

Henry gave himself a frantic look-over, checking to make sure his body was intact and not a puddle of _inky mess_ , bubbling and writhing and _dying_. Letting out a deep, shaky breath – because he was okay, he was _alive_ – Henry then redirected his attention to his left, to where the voice had last spoken and the awful prodding had taken place.

Black and white.

That was the sight that greeted him, along with a big, stretched smile and black notched eyes filled with mirth.

“Bendy…?” Henry breathed out, looking the small Toon up and down with eyes as wide as sausages.

The little devil’s smile widened even further – if that was even possible – and gave a small spin and a twirl as he laughed.

“Yep, ya got it Henry, spot on!” He said, his head tilted to the side as he adjusted his white bowtie with likewise white gloved hands. “The one and only!”

A small bead of ink trickled from Bendy’s horns and down his face, a fact that showed the little Toon wasn’t, in fact, as confident and cheerful as his outward appearance displayed.

“What happened? How are you-” Henry began loudly, but was immediately cut off by Bendy shushing him, a rounded finger placed on his grin to further this gesture.

“Pal, now might not be the best time to shout.” The demon whispered, glancing back and forth like he expected something to pop out and scare the living out of them.

It was at this point that Henry took note of their surroundings.

More black and white met his gaze, accentuated only by various shades and values between the two, and everything was entirely devoid of any color, lacking its vibrancy and painting a sight of monochrome. It reminded the old animator of…

“A cartoon…?” He asked with a small, disbelieving voice.

With a start, Henry looked down at himself for the second time and came to the jarring realization that he, too, was in black and white. That, however, was not the only anomaly. The old man’s whole body now had the proportions of a cartoon not unlike those he had drawn all those years ago. How in the world had he not noticed something as obvious as that the first time around? Had he really been that disoriented?

“Right you are, buddy.” Bendy answered, and Henry thought he could hear slight sarcasm from his tone. “I’m glad ya pointed that out, but that ain’t really our main problem right now.” The little devil jabbed a thump behind him to indicate something. More ink had begun to flow down his face, and Henry got the distinct feeling Bendy’s smile was forced, his stance tense and impatient.

Swallowing his own confusion at the absurdity of it all – because really, he had been through stranger things, as sad as that thought was – Henry looked to where Bendy was pointing and nearly choked on his breath.

They were in a cage made of iron bars from the looks of it, trapped in a small confinement that – much to Henry’s confusion – seemed to hold no door or any means of a way out. That in itself was quite concerning, sure, but what really got to the old animator was the sight beyond those bars.

The whole place screamed demonic, _satanic_ even, and was littered with upside-down pentagrams and other disturbing looking symbols. The room was lit with dim candlelight placed all around the place, and splotches of something dark Henry couldn’t identity due to its lack of color covered the ground and a few places on the walls. The old man still wasn’t used to the overall cartoony look everything had, but that did not stop the sight from creeping him out and making his heart clench.

Several hooded figures stood near the entrance to the dimly lit room, all huddled in a circle and conversing in whispered and hissed tones, apparently not having noticed Henry’s awakening.

“What the _fuck_ is going on?” Henry wasn’t normally the guy who cursed, but this whole situation deserved the occasion.

Bendy averted his gaze, his smile tight and fingers intertwined in a nervous gesture. The ink kept its steady flow down the small toon.

“Well, heh, it’s a long story.” The demon began.

Henry raised an eyebrow and it comically rose beyond his face and off his head. He immediately went to place it back with terror squirming within him, because that was not how physics worked, not how it was supposed to be.

He schooled his emotions to his best ability and found within him a calmness he was intimately familiar with. The detachment that followed was a welcoming change to all the madness around him.

“Just tell me, Bendy.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Long story or not, this really needs an explanation.”

The little devil nodded and then proceeded to plop himself down next to him.

“Gotcha buddy, I get that.” He amended. “I s’pose I should start from the beginning.” He cleared his throat, an action which left Henry briefly questioning how that was possible. The old animator looked at the space between his floating head and small body, and yep, there definitely wasn’t a throat to clear.

“Ya know how it is Henry, stuff like this ain’t exactly new to me.” He began his explanation. “I was just minding my own business when them fellas there went all ‘Hey, let’s summon a demon and make ‘im bound to us and grant us our darkest desires!’ Like that would actually happen.” He huffed as he swung his arms in the air.

“Guys like them don’t got a clue as to how this stuff works, but they _still_ managed to summon me.” Bendy grumbled. “Lucky bastards, when I get outta here they’ll pay.”

Henry held up a hand, his brows furrowed.

“Bendy... _what_?” He couldn’t help but question.

“What ‘what’?” The little demon retorted, tilting his head to the side.

“We literally just woke up in this place after destabilizing in the studio, then find ourselves in a cartoon where you’re somehow your normal little self and...this is your explanation to all of it?”

Now it was Bendy’s turn to have his brows depart from his face.

“Ooookaaayy...” He drawled. “You’ve lost me there Henry-o.”

They both stared at each other as silence made itself present.

“I don’t think we’re on the same page here.” Bendy eventually said, breaking the heavy silence.

“Clearly not.” Henry nodded.

“That’s actually another thing I wanted ta speak with you about.” Bendy turned his notched eyes on him. “How did ya end up here anyway? I don’t know about any studio or nothin’, but I do know that you just blinked into existence in this cell made for little ol’ me. Now call me crazy, but that’s definitely not how it works, even for a cartoon.”

“What…?” Henry found himself questioning once again.

This brought things into a whole different perspective and added to the boundless confusion. He scratched the back of his neck as he mulled everything over.

From the obvious signs all around him, Henry knew he wasn’t in the Studio anymore, and his little cartoon creation clearly didn’t remember what had just happened to them...or, rather, if he took Bendy’s explanation into account, then the demon didn’t even appear to have been a part of that experience.

But how was that possible? How was _any_ of this possible?

He rubbed his forehead as a headache began forming.

“I don’t know Bendy, I really don’t.” He eventually answered. He had his suspicions, but those were just insane speculations.

That reel _had_ displayed the words _A New Beginning_.

“Huh.” Bendy said. “Well anyway, got any brilliant ideas to bail us out?” He bounced back to his feet. “I betcha do!” Nodding to himself, he added. “Ya always do.”

But Henry really didn’t.

He didn’t have a clue as for what to do.

The old animator shook his head. “I’m sorry, Bendy.” Nothing more needed to be said on that matter to get the point across.

Bendy looked aghast. “Are ya pulling my leg here? _Now_ , of all times, ya choose to have a brain-fart and leave us hangin’?” He crossed his arms and turned to inspect the iron bars. “I’m not gonna become someone’s demon pet.”

The silence returned as the little toon ran his gloved hands over the gaps far too narrow to let even one as small as Bendy pass through, and not for the first time Henry wondered how that worked. Did their captors even know that, while the two of them certainly couldn’t escape, they couldn’t get them out either?

Henry turned his attention to the dripping ink leaving the demon’s form, most likely a reaction of stress now that he thought about it. He stared at it for a while, the sight somehow reminding him of recent events.

He startled as an idea struck him like lightening.

“Oohh!” Bendy chortled, having turned around all of a sudden. “Ya got an idea, don’tcha!”

Henry was about to question how he knew that when the little devil chuckled.

“That must be one bright idea!” He pointed above Henry’s head, and the old animator sighed, suddenly very aware of the literal light-bulb above his head.

Cartoons were a pain to get used to, but he shook his head and focused.

“Yes, I do.” He nodded towards the wall to their left. “Bendy, why don’t you use your warping abilities to pass us through the wall?” Henry felt proud of remembering that, but he supposed it was kind of hard to forget a power like that, having literally had to evade it on more occasions than he cared to remember.

A question mark appeared above Bendy’s head.

“My warping...whatchamacallit?”

The slight hope and pride he had immediately shriveled up and died. Of course, Henry thought. _Of course_. This whole world was different from Henry’s, and that apparently included Bendy himself. Why would the small demon have those abilities if he wasn’t the same ink beast Henry had faced?

It could still be salvaged though, Henry reasoned with himself. Not all was lost, because Bendy _was_ a demon, and therefore must have had some ability that resembled the one he was thinking about.

With that in mind, Henry began to explain. “You might not know it, Bendy, but you have the ability to pass through walls, like teleportation.” At least, the old man prayed and hoped he could.

Bendy shook his head and turned to the wall in question, but not before sparing a brief glance at the huddled cultists. They were still busy with god knows what, to which Henry couldn’t be more thankful.

“I can do _what_?” The demon questioned. He looked down at himself, as if the answer might be written on his body. “Last I checked, that kinda stuff isn’t anything I deal with.”

Henry continued. “You _can_ , Bendy.” He briefly closed his eyes. “You just...just try it, okay? Think of a destination beforehand and then let yourself be guided there.”

Henry honestly had no clue as to how it worked, but that was the only thing he could come up with.

“I’m not sure about this Henry.” Another drop of ink was added to the growing puddle beneath the little devil’s feet.

Henry opened his eyes again and gave him a deadpan look. “You have any better ideas?”

Bendy raised his hand as if to retort, but then slowly lowered it again when he found none.

“Alright, I’ll try this silly thing out.” He grumbled with narrowed eyes. “But if it fails and I run headfirst into the wall, ya better not be laughing. I’m watching ya.”

Henry held up a placating hand. “Hey, I’ll be right behind you, you know? If you crash, so do I.”

Bendy seemed placated by this and once again faced the wall, Henry joining him shortly after pulling himself to his feet. His whole body felt alien to him, the cartoon proportions making him nauseous.

Their shuffling within the cell seemed to alert the room’s other occupants, and a shout pierced the air.

“Hey!” One of the cultists shouted, alerting their comrades of the situation.

“Ah _squeak_!” Bendy...cursed?

Henry had no time to ponder the strange censoring of an obvious curse word. He rushed Bendy to the wall with himself right behind his heels, their captors rushing to the bars with haste.

“Ah, wait, I’m no-” Bendy didn’t get to finish as a strange sensation engulfed them both, like passing through cold jelly that pressed slightly against their attempts of passing it. The world turned momentarily black and Henry shivered as a wet substance coated his body, however it ended as soon as it had started and they both found themselves out of the cell and standing…right behind the cultists who now gazed at the empty cage before them.

They all turned around simultaniously and gasped. Henry himself was shaking from the whole ordeal while Bendy looked down at his hands as if seeing himself for the first time.

Their captors didn’t take long to compose themselves and advanced towards them with ropes, knives and the like held firmly in their hands, and it made for a comical yet _horrific_ sight. Henry couldn’t help but notice that one of them, though, hadn’t moved an inch and seemed rooted to their spot. It was the tallest of them, their hands shaking as if the sight of Bendy’s little stunt was a sight to behold and unlike anything they had ever witnessed.

Henry supposed it _was_ quite spectacular, however he cursed inwardly at the place the little devil had transported them to.

“Uhh...” Bendy gulped, but then raised a hand and waved. “Heya fellas.” He then winked with an exaggerated sound effect and turned around. “Sorry ta cut this lovely party of yours short, but we now bid you farewell! It was nice ta make your acquaintance... _not_!” He snickered.

Henry groaned. They didn’t have _time_ for this. Without a second thought, the old animator grabbed the small demon and held him as he bailed, ignoring the startled protests of both Bendy and their pursuers.

He exited the room and ran along the narrow halls, his sight now on the far end where large stairs led up to what was hopefully an exit.

It turned out, however, to be yet another narrow hall, and this one held several twists and turns, like a labyrinth built withing what Henry now assumed to be a cave or basement of sorts.

The clattering footsteps behind them alerted Henry once again to the fact that they didn’t have the time to dawdle, and so he made a quick decision and turned down one of the corners.

This went on for a while, with the two of them turning left and right, back and forth, up and yet up again, but there seemed to be no _end_ to it. Henry was beginning to tire out – unlike their persistent pursuers – and once they turned yet another corner in the dark, dimly lit halls, Henry slammed his back to the wall and waited with bated breath.

Bendy had stopped squirming in his grip and was likewise silent, his ink dripping and coating Henry’s white shirt.

The cultists ran past them and continued down the hall, and Henry could do nothing but stare. That had actually worked. He supposed cartoons _could_ be convenient at times.

Bendy snickered. “What a bunch of losers!” He said, his mirth returning as the danger receded.

“I agree.” Was the reply, but it did not come from Henry himself.

Both animator and demon alike startled and turned to the tall, cloaked figure standing a little ways before them.

Henry couldn’t see the person’s face, but that voice was unmistakably one he recognized. He just _couldn’t_ forget it, not after his previous run-ins with the man.

“S-Sammy…?”

The figure seemed surprised, as did Bendy.

“You know of my name...” He began.

“Ya _know_ him?” Bendy likewise questioned.

Henry slowly nodded. So, he had been right. He suspected as much, but to see that this strange reality had Sammy Lawrence as part of a satanic cultist was...actually not as surprising as Henry would have liked it to be. That man never ceased to amaze him in all the wrong ways.

“Wow.” Bendy continued, chuckling nervously. “Well isn’t this a small world!”

Henry would have thought Sammy would question him further, but the tall, lanky man’s attention was wholly on the little cartoon demon, and the old animator didn’t have to see his face to know Sammy was staring intently at him, probably _reverently_ to boot.

This couldn’t be happening. All Henry wanted to do was go home and be with Linda, but now he seemed even further away from that goal than ever. Unconsciously, Henry tightened his grip on Bendy and turned the little devil away from Sammy.

The cloaked man seemed to snap out of it and pulled down his hood, and sure enough, Sammy’s face was the one that greeted their sight. If nothing else, Henry felt slight relief at seeing him as his _old_ self and not the inky creature much like the searchers and lost ones.

“You’re...” Sammy began, and _yep_ that was definitely awe shining in his wide eyes. “You’re not what we expected. You’re not what _I_ expected.”

Bendy made a face that was most likely a grimace, though Henry found it a little hard to tell due to his perpetual grin.

“Our very first success and you’re so... _delightful_.” He stated. “Not like what those _other_ cultists running around like confused little _sheep_ could ever imagine you to be.”

Henry shivered. Not _this_ again. One insane Sammy Lawrence was enough for a lifetime, but fate apparently had other ideas.

“But I know better, oh yes I do.” He continued, conviction dripping from his voice. “You’re something to be revered, something to be _worshipped_. _No one_ should contain you, and it was but a foolish mistake on my part.”

Bendy seemed to reel at this, and Henry wanted to join him in the gesture.

“Man, you’re one crazy pal!” The little devil looked up at the animator. “Henry, your friend is kinda freakin’ me out here.”

Something seemed to pass through Sammy’s eyes, and Henry thought it looked like brief clarity mixed in with...embarrassment? It was a rare display of sanity coming from the deranged man.

“Forgive me.” He bowed deeply and Henry took a step back. “I did not mean to create discomfort. Also...” Sammy turned his gaze on Henry and gave him a scathing look.

“That man is not my friend. I have never met him before.”

Bendy looked from one human to the other.

“Things just keeps getting weirder.”

And wasn’t that the truth?

“You...you don’t-” Henry began, but then cut himself off with a sigh. “Nevermind. I don’t suppose you could show us the way out?” Now he was just grasping at anything.

To his surprise, though, Sammy nodded as if nothing else made sense.

“Of course.” He agreed. “I can’t let the others find you.” Sammy looked at Bendy as he said this. “Follow me and I’ll lead you to your freedom.”

Something felt wrong about this, but they didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Neither Henry nor Bendy knew the way out, and if they ventured further down the halls they were most likely going to run into the other cult members at some point.

Sammy had turned to lead the way, but stopped mid-strife.

“Great One, may I request to know your name?”

Henry knew without a single doubt Sammy wasn’t talking to him.

Bendy chuckled nervously. “Sure, if ya stop being such a freakin’ _weirdo_.”

To this Sammy only bowed once more.

“It’s Bendy. Bendy the Demon.”

“Bendy...” The tall man said, his voice beyond gentle as he seemed to savor the name leaving his mouth like it was the finest wine.

“Come, your freedom awaits.”

With that, the battle-worn animator, devout cultist and little demon left in pursuit of a way out. It all _did_ seem like a new beginning, but Henry wasn’t certain he much liked it.

For now, all he could do was to follow along and see where this twisted new route led him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get a bit out of hand, and important talks are postponed.

It turned out the exit wasn’t all that far from where they left off, and Henry was pretty sure he could have gotten the two of them out himself at this point. The animator spared a brief glance at the musician, internally lamenting the poor timing of their meeting. For all it was worth, getting out was the highest priority – even if Henry _would_ have preferred not having to deal with the guy ahead of them – and so he set his personal feelings aside in favor of escaping the cave belonging to cultists.

Bendy had by then stopped leaking ink, and as the first rays of sunshine hit them, creator and creation alike breathed a sigh of relief. The strong rays of sunshine did, however, seem to irritate the ink demon, although Henry didn’t really have the luxury to stop and dwell on it further and just guessed it had to do with his demonic attributes, or whatever such attributes entailed. Even Henry’s now notched eyes squinted as the light pierced the vast contrast between the dark cavern and the outside.

The first thing to catch Henry’s attention was the immense amount of trees littering the place, and he immediately came to the conclusion that they were in a forest. It kind of made sense, but the old animator still thought having a hidden demonic cult hideout deep within the woods was the worst sort of cliché.

“Now _that’s_ cliché!” Bendy uttered, as if having read his thoughts. Henry looked down at him and frowned. Was that just a coincidence or did Bendy have a few other tricks up his sleeves that he didn’t know about? Did Bendy even realize the amount of power he likely held within his cute and tiny body?

“Nah, I don’t got a trick like that Henry.” Bendy continued, his pie-cut eyes gazing up at the animator.

Henry’s eye twitched. Now that was just _creepy_.

“How are you-” He began, but was cut off by the little devil laughing, his wide grin stretching even further into a smile that sent chills down the animator’s spine.

“Your face, Henry, your _face_!” He chuckled, and Henry thought Bendy was making fun of a silly expression he must have made, but then the demon continued. “You’re very easy to read, ya know? Most humans are.”

Well. That explained that, he supposed.

“This should be far enough.” Sammy eventually said, halting his sprint which in turn made Henry very nearly collide with the tall music director.

“Alright, okay...” Henry said, mostly to himself as he backed away from Sammy. Bendy chose this very moment to pry himself free from the animator’s grip and landed neatly on the dirt beneath their feet. He then proceeded to use his right hand to shield his view from the sun, looking around, and Henry found himself doing the same.

Yet more trees upon trees met their sight, indicating that they were still in the forest and most likely very lost. Henry squinted at the lack of color, still not entirely used to the black and white setting. He felt like this was what it would be like to be color blind.

Bendy, having gotten enough of looking at identical trees, turned around and focused his attention on Sammy.

“You there, Sammy-o.” He addressed the man, who in turn startled but immediately directed his focus on the small cartoon demon. “Now what?”

Sammy blinked, as if processing what Bendy might have meant by such a statement, but then he seemed to realize the meaning behind it.

“A little further ways ahead of us,” He began. “If you follow that left path there,” He pointed to said path, a narrow route of dirt leading deeper into the woods. “You’ll eventually reach a small village called New West Leaf. I’m sure you can figure out what to do from there onwards.”

“What about you?” Henry found himself questioning, internally relieved the cultist wouldn’t follow them and yet also quite curious. He hadn’t expected Sammy to give up on Bendy that easily, especially with his previous statements and...less that favorable alternative selves.

“I have a few things to...attend to.” Was the man’s cryptic reply.

“Go for it, Sammy.” Bendy chimed in, likely just as eager to get rid of him as Henry was.

Sammy’s eyes seemed to light up at this.

“My...my Lord!” He muttered, and oh _god_ were they doing this again? Henry didn’t have the energy to deal with it.

“Henry.” Bendy whispered, not averting his eyes from Sammy. “I think your friend is broken.”

Henry merely nodded. That was the sad truth of Sammy Lawrence; a broken genius.

“Fret not, my Lord, this isn’t the last time you’ll see me.” The tall man continued, seemingly in a much better mood now. Henry supposed he hadn’t heard Bendy’s little extra comment, and that was most likely for the best.

“It isn’t?” The demon sounded exceptionally disappointed, but then just shook it off. “Still, before ya tally off to do whatever guys like you do in your spare time, there’s just a teeny little detail I’d like for you to remember.” The demon began his quest of casually walking towards the towering musician, his stride confident and filled with a single-pointed goal. Less than a feet away from Sammy, Bendy then proceeded to reach behind his back and quite literally pulled out a huge mallet far too big to possibly be handled by one as small as the little devil. And yet, there he was, swinging it back and forth as if it weighed nothing, and Henry had a suspicion that that was, in fact, exactly the case.

“I’d like ya to conveniently... _forget_ ever meeting me, especially around others, ya know? Just for convenience sake, ‘cause spreading rumors of summoning a demon just ain’t a bright idea.” Bendy closed his eyes and sighed, a dramatic gesture Henry immediately knew to be fake.

“Or else ya know how it goes.” Bendy concluded, his grin widening at the sheer horror now stretched across Sammy’s face.

“My L-” He began, and the mallet was brought dangerously close to his face.

He immediately went to agree with the demon’s terms. “Yes, My Lord...yes, to any others but myself, you and I have never crossed paths. It will be _our_ little secret.” Henry involuntarily shivered as he could practically _hear_ the terror in the man’s voice replace itself with utter glee.

The mallet was swung around a bit more as Bendy seemed to mull over the answer, but eventually he nodded and returned the mallet behind his back like it never existed to begin with.

Henry found himself releasing a breath he didn’t know he held. The old animator couldn’t exactly remember creating Bendy as a violent cartoon character, but then again Joey certainly _had_ managed to destroy his expectations when it came to anything that had to do with Bendy and his cartoon.

Too many things didn’t seem to add up, even in this new universe. Henry needed to have a serious chat with the little demon...he was the only one likely to help him at this point, seeing as Bendy might be from Henry’s universe. At least, that was assuming this whole thing wasn’t a convoluted joke of a dream. He suddenly felt the need to pinch himself.

“As long as you understand, Sammy-o.” Bendy said, bobbing his head at the musician. “It’s all water under the bridge.”

Sammy likewise seemed to release a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, My Lord.” He said, and it sounded sincere and without any offense or anger whatsoever, even after what had just happened. “Please excuse me, but I must be going now. There’s much to be done and so little time.”

“Sure.” Bendy waved.

Henry nodded at the man when he spared him a brief glance – because really, that was apparently the only amount of attention he was going to get. Henry’s gut clenched with unease. Something still didn’t feel right.

What was Sammy planning?

* * *

Bendy watched as the tall human left in the direction they had come from, likely to return to that crazy occult stuff they all had going. He honestly couldn’t care less now that he was free, and even though Sammy had said they would meet again, the little devil was content with just forgetting about the whole ordeal. Bendy didn’t _do_ occult stuff, and he certainly wasn’t planning on getting involved with it now.

He turned around to gaze at Henry. He looked the same, talked the same way, seemed the same as always, and yet something felt a little different about his old friend, but Bendy couldn’t for the _life_ of him put his finger on it. Sure, the man had randomly appeared when he most needed him, but that was beside the point. He had learned firsthand not to trust others, Henry included, and so he instead listened to his gut.

And it was screaming at him, telling him that things were _out of order_.

Heck, even Bendy felt slightly off, especially now that he could apparently _warp around_ like that was a thing. Talk about having an existential crisis.

“Now what?” He found himself repeating his earlier question, because he really didn’t know what to make of this situation. Henry scratched his cheek and seemed to mull it over for a moment before he replied by plunging down on his butt and patting the ground right before him in a gesturing motion. Bendy raised an eyebrow, but complied with the silent demand regardless, taking a seat and staring up at his pal.

“I think it’s about time the two of us have a serious talk.” Henry said, sounding as serious as he probably wanted their talk to be.

“Yeah, probably.” He agreed, because Bendy knew they wouldn’t get anywhere else if they didn’t. Sure, they could both decide to part ways then and there, but where would the fun be in that? The cartoon demon hadn’t seen Henry in years and so he was secretly reveling in the company the human gave him.

“Alright.” Henry began again, seemingly steering himself for something Bendy had yet to know. “How about we start with simple questions, like...” The human paused briefly. “What is the name of this world?”

Bendy snorted. “Yeah, a real simple question Henry-o. Something _everyone_ should know.”

His friend just sighed. “Humor me, Bendy.”

The little devil stared at him. “The Cartoon World, Henry.” He stressed. “You _know_ that.”

“Right.” The man replied. “And why is it called that? How do you know your existence is a cartoon in the first place? Isn’t that a paradox in and of itself?”

“You’re kinda freakin’ me out here Henry.” More ink had yet again decided to betray him and make its descent down his face, uncaring even as it seeped into his eyes.

Because really, those were some freaky questions _not meant to be asked_. Everyone knew that, _everyone_. So why was Henry crossing that line now?

“Well?” He urged, and Bendy narrowed his eyes.

“Pass.” He said, another trickle of ink running down his face.

“What-?” Henry raised an eyebrow. “Bendy, we’re not playing a guessing game here-”

“Well now we are.” He retorted, content on not answering his desired questions. “Besides, ya said we were gonna have a serious _talk_ , not just you firing off random questions left an’ right.”

Henry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright Bendy, we’ll do it another way.”

The little devil nodded. That sounded much better – _anything_ did at this point.

“Okay, I guess I’ll start with my own situation.” Henry eventually said after a brief pause. “I know this might sound unbelievable at first, but please hear me out, alright?”

Bendy nodded once again. “Alrigh-”

He never got to finish that one simple word as his sentence was left hanging much like the two of them – quite _literally_.

Bendy yelped as he was pulled from the ground and up in the air, only to be slammed against a large tree immediately afterwards, a sticky white silk encasing his small body and leaving him dangling from his new position. From the loud bang and grunt of pain behind him that followed shortly afterwards, the demon conclude that Henry had found himself in his own _sticky_ situation.

Bendy willed his head to turn all the way around to face his friend – having a floating head _did_ come in handy from time to time – and asked a simple question.

“How’s it hangin’?” He just couldn’t help himself, the opportunity was _perfect_ for the occasion.

Henry only groaned in response, but then decided to grace the question with words anyway. “Really, Bendy, what did I _expect_?”

Bendy had a feeling that statement was meant for more than just his joke.

“Well now,” A new voice sounded from below, directing their attention to the ground. “Lookie what we have here!”

“No, but really.” Henry continued to mumble, completely ignoring the guy below. “What _did_ I expect?”

Bendy blinked. “I think Henry just broke too.”

Their captor scoffed from below. “Are you even _listening_ to me?!”

“Nope!” Bendy replied cheerfully, but he _did_ look at their offender now, because he reasoned he might as well get a good look at the one he would pummel to the ground after he got out of those blasted binds.

What met his gaze was that of a spider-like creature with far too many legs to possibly count as a human, and he sported small ears and large lips that held a pair of pointed fangs, his entire body black like most within the Cartoon World. Bendy immediately recognized the being as one _Edgar_ , and it was a guy part of a gang he very much didn’t want to deal with – _ever_.

“Not you guys again!” Bendy groaned. “Can’t ya just leave a guy alone for one darn minute?”

Edgar chuckled, the sound grating and wholly unpleasant to Bendy’s non-existent ears. “You know we can’t do that, short stuff. Part of our job is to catch you, so catching you we _will_.”

The demon narrowed his eyes even as his grin widened. “We’ll see ‘bout that.” He then proceeded to turn his attention back to Henry, but not before giving one last remark to the spider below.

“Ya haven’t ever actually gotten further than trap me, and look how that always turns out.”

Bendy didn’t have to look at the spider in order to know a dark scowl was now present on his face. “Well,” He shouted. “This time is different! I’m actually trying my best here, and that’s a cause for progress!”

“Progress, sure.” He replied offhandedly. “Feel free to come back when ya stop trying and actually do it...now _that_ would be worth seeing!”

“You’ll _see_ alright.” Edgar continued, and Bendy could hear the telltale sounds of several legs moving. “Now... _stay_ there while I fetch the rest of my gang.”

“Stay...” Henry muttered. “Like we have much of a choice.”

Bendy grinned at this, because – like all the other times the Butcher Gang had caught him – a golden opportunity had now presented itself. He turned his head back to look at the retrieving form of Edgar, and waited with bated breath until he was out of sight.

“Alright Henry.” He looked back at the quiet man. “Now’s probably a good time for ya to tell that unbelievable story of yours.”

Henry looked incredulous. “ _Now_?” He questioned with disbelief dripping from his tone. “Shouldn’t we focus on escaping?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Bendy would have shrugged if he could. “That idiot Edgar most likely left far ahead of the others, which means we have quite a lot of time before they get back. Besides, they never actually succeeds in catching me...like, _ever_ Henry, I’m telling ya.”

Henry just sighed. “That might be well and all, but I would prefer not talking about such things upside down.” He then groaned. “I’m already starting to feel dizzy.”

A light-bulb lit up over Bendy’s head. “Ah, right, gotcha!” He chuckled. “I completely forgot about that. You humans sure are frail!”

“I know.” Henry replied. The man then started to wriggle in his binds, yet all that did was swing him lightly back and forth. “This is beyond insane.” He eventually mumbled.

Silence hung heavy in the air as they both mulled over possible escape scenarios. Henry was still turning around in circles after his attempt at escaping the spider web, and Bendy snickered lightly.

“Earlier, you sounded like this happens to you often.” Henry eventually started. “And the fact that you’re not wherever they intend to bring you after being captured obviously means you’ve escaped before, right?”

The little devil nodded. “Yep, I always manage ta find my way out of these _sticky_ situations.”

Henry chose not to comment on Bendy’s terrible and overused puns. “Do you have a plan? As much as I’d like to come up with one myself, my hands are kind of tied...” His friend realized far too late that he himself had made a pun, unintentional or otherwise, and Bendy laughed.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He replied, his grin now almost splitting his face. “See, notice my head here?” He bobbed said head up and down, indicating his lack of a neck. Henry’s eyes widened and Bendy nodded.

“Exactly. I don’t have a neck, meaning I can pretty much move my head wherever I want, kinda like a separate body if ya would. Useful sometimes an’ a pain in the _neck_ at others.” Man, Bendy really loved messing with Henry; his expressions were always so _animated_.

“I think I’m following you so far, Bendy, but what do you intend to do exactly?” His friend asked.

“Well, here’s where there are several possibilities.” And the demon hated that fact, because that would mean picking just one – and it was just as likely to fail as the others. “I could either gnaw us free, but that’s really too much of a pain if ya ask me. Then of course I could find a sharp branch or somethin’ and use it to cut us free or-”

Henry interrupted him at this point. “Wait, that last one might actually work.” He stated, and the upside-down light-bulb now above his head told Bendy he had just been struck by a particularly _bright_ idea. “If you manage to cut enough of my binds for me to free at least one arm, I might be able to help us down from here.”

“Huh. Well okay, let’s try it buddy.”

And so Bendy proceeded to float his head away from his trapped body in search of something sharp, most likely a rock or branch – the type didn’t really matter as long as it got the job done. It took him less than a minute to find a particularly sharp-edged rock just about the right size for Bendy to hold in his mouth and manage without much problem, and the rest was a piece of cake.

“Alright.” Henry said once he had freed his right arm, and Bendy chose that moment to spit out the rock. He did _not_ recommend anyone trying this at home.

“Back when we had escaped with Sammy, you pulled out a huge mallet.” Henry stated, and even though it wasn’t a question Bendy still nodded his consent. “I remember that particular action is retrieving objects from something called a _Hammerspace_. I might not like this whole cartoon deal, but I suppose it’s worth a try.”

Bendy didn’t really get what Henry was trying to say, so he busied himself with watching as the human reached behind his back and fetched out a... _thing_.

“What’s that?” The little devil questioned.

Henry merely stared at the rectangular object. “That actually worked...” He breathed out.

“What worked, Henry, _what_?”

“Look for yourself.” His friend replied and then directed the object to the ground below them. “Though, this second part probably won’t work.” He whispered, but Bendy heard him loud and clear.

The item gave a soft whirring sound and hummed as it was turned on, the lights on its borders lighting up as Henry did whatever he meant to do. Bendy floated his head towards the man to gaze along with him.

_JUMP._ The ground was saying in large, glowing letters, and Bendy stared.

Henry then proceeded to turn the item this and that way, all while staying calm and undeterred by the sheer absurdity of it all. Eventually the thing – something Bendy was beginning to suspect was some sort of mutated magnifying glass – landed upon another message of the same glowing ink, and it read as followed.

_CARTOON LOGIC SUCKS, BUT IT WILL SAVE YOU._

It was written right above a huge patch of leaves that was somehow – much too conveniently – positioned right below them.

“Okay.” Henry said after a short pause filled with nothing but silence. “Even _I’m_ starting to get freaked out.”

Bendy didn’t think he sounded very freaked out, but his face _did_ betray lines riddled with worry. The demon was glad for his innate ability to read people’s faces and emotions, because Henry was one tough cookie to crack.

“So what _is_ all this?” He eventually questioned.

“I’ll..” Henry hesitated. “I’ll explain it all once we get down.

Bendy raised an eyebrow. “What, so we’re actually gonna jump?”

His friend nodded. “Could you pick up that rock again? We’ll need it to cut the rest of this silk.”

Bendy did as requested, albeit reluctantly. The end result went as expected; after Henry was freed from his binds, he plummeted to the ground with a speed that must have knocked the wind out of him – though not before he actually _looked_ down to see he was falling, all thanks to cartoon logic.

He landed with an audible grunt in the bundle of leaves that immediately went to scatter as they were disturbed by one body of human serving. Bendy’s head followed him all the way down and gazed at the leaves now covering Henry from head to toe, and he felt slight relief bubble up at the sight of no injuries.

“That worked smoothly!” Bendy cheered. “Be just a sec, I’ll follow ya right away!”

Reaching his body, Bendy was about to make quick work of cutting himself free when a thought struck him. Could he actually…?

Sure enough, as the demon spit out the rock and went to reattach his head to his body, Bendy exerted a tiny bit of strength – barely even what most would call a tug – and felt the silk shatter and free him from his bindings. What followed was a free fall that made Bendy proceed to laugh as the thrill overrode anything else he might have felt. Just as he was about to hit the leaves, though, Henry caught him midair and received a startled yelp from Bendy. The little devil certainly hadn’t seen _that_ coming, but it still wasn’t enough to top his bewilderment of his apparent newfound strength...had he always been that powerful?

Instead of putting Bendy down like he had expected him to do, Henry instead turned tail and ran in the direction Sammy had pointed out earlier, rushing forward and away from the intricate web that had previously held them captive. Bendy chose to stay quiet as he was hauled along, trees and bushes becoming a blur of motion that almost seemed to merge together as the human ran with a speed even Bendy felt impressed by.

Eventually, after several minutes had passed and their surrounding thinned out and became less of a forest and more like an actual route leading to a small village – visible just beyond the horizon – Henry slowed down and panted like he had run a marathon...which, Bendy supposed, he most likely _had_.

“I gotta say, that’s real impressive Henry.” Bendy commented, still securely held in the grasp of the wheezing man. Henry only grunted in reply as he collapsed to the ground, his grip on Bendy loosening. Bendy took this opportunity to wriggle free.

“Still,” The demon continued, his tone slightly less upbeat. “Couldn’t ya have waited to bail until I got the chance to whack Edgar?” He sighed. “Man, that woulda been fun.”

Henry, having caught his breath, replied with a hoarse voice. “The other two gang members would have been there as well, Bendy. What would you have done had they ambushed you as soon as you attacked Edgar?” He shook his head. “No, I couldn’t risk us staying, so running was the obvious solution.”

Bendy huffed but didn’t disagree. “I hate it when ya blast me with your logic.”

Henry merely chuckled.

Silence reigned for a few seconds as they both got their bearings, and Bendy went to sit next to his friend on the patch of dirt below them. The sun was slowly setting, and it splashed the sky with various shades of gray that made for a truly splendid sight. For some reason, however, it managed to make Bendy feel a sense of...lacking.

Like something wasn’t quite right or missing.

Shaking his head, Bendy turned to look up at Henry.

“We should probably talk now.” The man said before he managed to speak up.

The little devil nodded. “Yeah.”

Bendy knew it was most likely going to be one _hell_  of a talk, and he found he didn’t particularly look forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just realized that I had this entire chapter all written out and ready to be published months ago...
> 
> Well, better late than never, amiright?


End file.
